We went to Spain for our anniversary: Madrid, Seville, & Granada. Seville was our favorite, hands down and I therefore highly recommend everyone to visit. 
The city is a beautiful mix of Islamic and Baroque-looking (to me) architecture, delicious tapas, tinto de verano (red wine with sprite...just as refreshing as sangria, but cheaper!) and so many things to see and do. I actually didn't find, despite the exchange rate, Spainish food or sightseeing to be radically different than the States. You could get a beer for less than $3, a serrano ham & manchego cheese sandwich on baguette for $4.50-$5, and a meal of tapas for about $15-$20pp (which is about what we would pay at Jaleo)
I'm fairly certain this was built on the site of a mosque after the Christians re-conquered Andalucia. It's stunning, both inside & out. We climbed up the tower and saw a great view of the city.
And, the cathedral had the remains of what is believed to be Christopher Columbus. And, I saw a recent Discovery Channel (or was it History Channel?!) show that DNA tested the remains against his brother's bones & the remains in the cathedral were related to Diego Columbus!
Alcazar
It seemed to me that each main city had it's own Alcazar. It was part palace, part fort. And, in Andalucia, these palace-forts had strong Islamic-influences. I've never been in such beautiful buildings before. I've been inside lux Danish castles with gold everywhere and the detailed carving and thoughtful architecture of the Alcazar & the Alhambra (wait for another blog post!) were far more breath-taking. Seriously. You walk through and can't help but imagine a more romantic time.
Italica
Just outside of Seville are ruins of the Roman city of Italica. It's amazing. And, for an entry of 1.80E (so, about $3), it was a total bargain. Bonus points was that it was practically empty...so it was like we had the whole city to ourselves.
4 comments:
Beautimous, Katy! Happy anniversary! :)
I remember the wine and soda. Try making it at home with fresca and red wine. I just learned that this summer!
Did you have a beer and soda? (What are they called, clara?) Not too bad, either :)
And I LOVED the bocadillos (that's what we called the sandwiches with ham, cheese, etc.).
I must return to Spain!! Welcome back and Happy Anniversary!
-Melissa
Awesome pictures! =) Glad your trip was fun! -- I'm excited to learn more about the trip.
Happy Anniversary! Congratulations! Your pictures are beautiful and have me very jealous :)
We'll have to get together do a photo shoot again sometime soon.
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